Kuhio Day is a Hawaii state holiday held every year around March 26, honoring the memory of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole Pi‘ikoi, one of Hawaii’s most well-known leaders. The state holiday features week-long festivals and activities that showcase Hawaii’s traditions. “Festivals may feature statewide canoe races, cultural demonstrations, and luaus. A luau is a way to celebrate a variety of occasions and includes music, dance, games, and food,” says timeanddate.com, a website that highlights special dates and times in past, present and future calendars. Prince Kuhio was one of the first delegates from Hawaii to the U.S. Congress. The holiday recognizes his efforts to improve the lives of the people of Hawaii. Kuhio noticed the decline of the Hawaiian people and spearheaded the project of authoring the 1920 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, which now provides homesteads of approximately 200,000 acres of land to roughly 10,000 native Hawaiian families. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ website says, “[Kuhio was] a pure-blooded Hawaiian, a member of a diminishing race. It was natural and greatly to his credit that he devoted much serious thought and energy to their rehabilitation – it was a work of love on his part.” Hi‘ilani Shibata, a specialist in Hawaiian culture who has served as Education Operations Manager for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum said because of Kuhio’s legacy, his impact is still felt by Hawaiians today. “Prince Kuhio left a legacy that still benefits our Kanaka maoli today. He, like his kupuna (ancestors), tried to make sure our ‘aina, (our land) stayed in malama ‘aina (proper care) under what is now known as Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. He also knew our people would die not being connected to the ‘aina,” Shibata said. “Prince Kuhio means a significant amount because being part Hawaiian, I see that the actions of a single individual has helped contribute to many other types of advocacy that other Hawaiians have done to help restore and preserve Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian community,” said Eddie Thompson, a senior majoring in Hawaiian Studies from Kapalama, Oahu. “Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole is memorialized for his leadership, his tenacity, and his commitment to elevate his people,” says information from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
Writer: Dylan Sage-Wilcox~Multimedia Journalist
